Catenins, Wnt signaling and cancer.Nick Barker &HansClevers -2000 -Bioessays 22 (11):961-965.detailsRecent studies indicate that plakoglobin may have a similar function to that of β-catenin within the Wnt signaling pathway. β-catenin is known to be an oncogene in many forms of human cancer, following acquisition of stabilizing mutations in amino terminal sequences. Kolligs1 and coworkers show, however, that unlike β-catenin, plakoglobin induces neoplastic transformation of rat epithelial cells in the absence of such stabilizing mutations. Cellular transformation by plakoglobin also appears to be distinct from that of β-catenin in that it requires (...) activation of the proto-oncogene c-myc. Surprisingly, c-myc is activated more efficiently by plakoglobin than β-catenin, despite its previous identification as a target of Tcf/β-catenin.2 In contrast, a synthetic Tcf reporter gene is activated to a much greater extent by β-catenin than plakoglobin. Plakoglobin and β-catenin may therefore have different roles in Wnt signaling and cancer, which reflect their differential effects on target gene activity. BioEssays 22:961–965, 2000. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (shrink)
Reuniting philosophy and science to advance cancer research.Thomas Pradeu,Bertrand Daignan-Fornier,Andrew Ewald,Pierre-Luc Germain,Samir Okasha,Anya Plutynski,Sébastien Benzekry,Marta Bertolaso,Mina Bissell,Joel S. Brown,Benjamin Chin-Yee,Ian Chin-Yee,HansClevers,Laurent Cognet,Marie Darrason,Emmanuel Farge,Jean Feunteun,Jérôme Galon,Elodie Giroux,Sara Green,Fridolin Gross,Fanny Jaulin,Rob Knight,Ezio Laconi,Nicolas Larmonier,Carlo Maley,Alberto Mantovani,Violaine Moreau,Pierre Nassoy,Elena Rondeau,David Santamaria,Catherine M. Sawai,Andrei Seluanov,Gregory D. Sepich-Poore,Vanja Sisirak,Eric Solary,Sarah Yvonnet &Lucie Laplane -2023 -Biological Reviews 98 (5):1668-1686.detailsCancers rely on multiple, heterogeneous processes at different scales, pertaining to many biomedical fields. Therefore, understanding cancer is necessarily an interdisciplinary task that requires placing specialised experimental and clinical research into a broader conceptual, theoretical, and methodological framework. Without such a framework, oncology will collect piecemeal results, with scant dialogue between the different scientific communities studying cancer. We argue that one important way forward in service of a more successful dialogue is through greater integration of applied sciences (experimental and clinical) (...) with conceptual and theoretical approaches, informed by philosophical methods. By way of illustration, we explore six central themes: (i) the role of mutations in cancer; (ii) the clonal evolution of cancer cells; (iii) the relationship between cancer and multicellularity; (iv) the tumour microenvironment; (v) the immune system; and (vi) stem cells. In each case, we examine open questions in the scientific literature through a philosophical methodology and show the benefit of such a synergy for the scientific and medical understanding of cancer. (shrink)
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Who made cleverHans stupid?Vinciane Despret -2015 -Angelaki 20 (2):77-85.detailsThe case of CleverHans is one of the most notorious episodes in the history of animal psychology. The “CleverHans effect” has since become the name of a cardinal scientific sin, the experimenter effect by which researchers inadvertently give their subjects the answers to their questions. Yet this discrediting accusation is often overstated, and in need of a careful differentiation. In this section from Vinciane Despret's bookHans she digs through the files to reconsider this famous (...) horse and his psychologists, and thereby, also, provokes us to rethink the legacy of this meaningful scandal in the subsequent history of scientific research on animal intelligence. (shrink)
CleverHans, Alex the Parrot, and Kanzi: What can Exceptional Animal Learning Teach us About Human Cognitive Evolution?Michael Trestman -2015 -Biological Theory 10 (1):86-99.detailsThe development of cognitive capacities depends on environmental conditions, including various forms of scaffolding. As a result, the evolution of cognition depends on the evolution of activities that provide scaffolding for cognitive development. Non-human animals reared and trained in environments heavily scaffolded with human social interaction can acquire non-species-typical knowledge, skills, and capacities. This can potentially shed light on some of the changes that paved the way for the evolution of distinctively human behavioral capacities such as language, advanced social cognition, (...) and elaborate forms of tool craft. In this light, I revisit several widely known—but also widely misunderstood—cases of exceptional animals and argue that each of these cases provides clues about key innovations in our own evolutionary history. (shrink)
Ernst Cassirer, Theoretical Biology, and the CleverHans Phenomenon.Gregory B. Moynahan -1999 -Science in Context 12 (4):549-574.detailsThe ArgumentBiology, understood in turn-of-the-century Germany to include psychology, held a central but enigmatic place in the philosopher Ernst Cassirer's work. From his earliest studies with Hermann Cohen through his long engagement with the theoretical biology of Jakob von Uexküll and Adolf Meyer-Abich, Cassirer consistently used the history and practice of biology to examine and delineate a set of characteristic tensions between the natural and cultural sciences. This paper examines Cassirer's treatment of this theme by addressing two contrasting interpretations he (...) gave — in hisPhilosophy of Symbolic Forms and in hisEssay on Man — to the benchmark case from empirical psychology of the “talking” horse “CleverHans.” The original case involved the horse's ability to signal answers to remarkably complex questions by stamping its hooves, an ability that ultimately appeared to rest on a capacity to detect extremely minute unintentional movement cues in its auditors as it reached the appropriate answer. Due to both Cassirer's shifting description of the case within his philosophy and the case's inherent polyvalence, Cassirer's remarks provide a useful window onto the social, epistemological, and stylistic meaning of his “unified” philosophy of human culture and science. (shrink)
The Body We Care for: Figures of Anthropo-zoo-genesis.Vinciane Despret -2004 -Body and Society 10 (2-3):111-134.detailsCleverHans, the famous horse who was believed to be able to count, is generally cited as the paradigm of the influence of the observer. Psychologist Rosenthal has illustrated this phenomenon with his well-known experiment about ‘bright’ and ‘dull’ maze rats.Hans, however, achieved something much more interesting. Hecould not only read human minds through their bodies: he could also influence his questioners to produce gestures he could read as cues for finding the answer.Hans could make (...) human bodies be moved and be affected, and move and affect other beings and perform things without their owners’ knowledge. The question of ‘influence’ when we read this case becomes therefore far more complicated and interesting. It involves the question of the way bodies can attune, affect and transformeach other. We may follow carefully how scientists of ethological practices create access to the creatures they study, how they are moved by their subjects of interest, and how they give them a chance to be interesting andto articulate other responses. Doing so, we notice that the signs that define subject and object, what talks and what is talked about, subjectivity and objectivity, are redistributed in a new manner. These practices offer a new and pragmatic definition of the body, close to James’s theory of emotions: to have a body is to learn how to feel. (shrink)
American Philosophy of Technology: The Empirical Turn.Hans Achterhuis (ed.) -2001 - Indiana University Press.detailsIntroduces contemporary American philosophy of technology through six of its leading figures. The six American philosophers of technology whose work is profiled in this clear and concise introduction to the field—Albert Borgmann, Hubert Dreyfus, Andrew Feenberg, Donna Haraway, Don Ihde, and Langdon Winner—represent a new, empirical direction in the philosophical study of technology that has developed mainly in North America. In place of the grand philosophical schemes of the classical generation of European philosophers of technology, the contemporary American generation addresses (...) concrete technological practices and the co-evolution of technology and society in modern culture. Six Dutch philosophers associated with Twente University survey and critique the full scope and development of their American colleagues’ work, often illustrating shifts from earlier to more recent interests. Individual chapters focus on Borgmann’s engagement with technology and everyday life; Dreyfus’s work on the limits of artificial intelligence; Feenberg’s perspectives on the cultural and social possibilities opened by technologies; Haraway’s conception of the cyborg and its attendant blurring of boundaries; Ihde’s explorations of the place of technology in the lifeworld; and Winner’s fascination with the moral and political implications of modern technologies. American Philosophy of Technology offers an insightful and readable introduction to this new and distinctly American philosophical turn. Contributors areHans Achterhuis, Philip Brey, René Munnik, Martijntje Smits, Pieter Tijmes, and Peter-Paul Verbeek. (shrink)
Verbaut die Kirche Ihre Zukunft?: ein Deutscher Katholik fragt nach.Hans-Harald Sedlacek -2012 - Leipzig: Evangelische Verlagsanstalt.detailsEnglish summary: [Is the Church spoiling its own future? A German Catholic inquires]Hans-Harald Sedlacek, a catholic non-professional, turns out to be a quite inspiring maverick. He looks for the reasons for the crisis of faith, which the roman-catholic church is presently deploring as well. With sharp-witted arguments he gets to the bottom of the truths of Christian beliefs, he scrutinizes the alleged infallibility and points out the problems of the sexual morals of the Church including the causes for (...) shortage of priests and child abuse. Furthermore ethical and philosophical topics like property and veraciousness are debated in a most interesting way.Clearly and openly he states his reasons for staying in the Catholic Church but also the urgent necessity to strengthen the reformatory movement within the Church. He deplores the missing unity of Christians and full of verve he pleads for a closer confluence. With his book he aims to motivate the doubtful and disappointed of his own Church as well as the searching of other Churches to work together critically for a mutual future of Christianity. German description:Hans-Harald Sedlacek, ein katholischer Laie, erweist sich als ausserst anregender Querdenker. Er fragt nach den Gruenden fuer die Glaubenskrise, die derzeit auch von der romisch-katholischen Amtskirche so sehr beklagt wird. In scharfsinnigen Streitgesprachen geht er christlichen Glaubenswahrheiten auf den Grund, hinterfragt Unfehlbarkeitsansprueche und problematisiert die sexuellen Moralvorstellungen der Kirche samt den Ursachen von Priestermangel und Kindesmissbrauch. Zudem werden ethische und philosophische Themen wie aEigentum und aWahrheitsliebe auf spannende Weise diskutiert. Offen und klar benennt Sedlacek die Gruende fuer sein Verbleiben in der katholischen Kirche, aber auch fuer die dringende Notwendigkeit einer Starkung der innerkirchlichen Reformbewegung. Er beklagt die fehlende Einheit der Christen und pladiert mit Verve fuer ein engeres Zusammenwachsen. Mit seinem Buch will er Zweifelnde und Enttauschte seiner eigenen Kirche ebenso wie Suchende anderer Kirchen zu einer kritischen Mitarbeit an der gemeinsamen Zukunft der Christenheit ermuntern. (shrink)
Homo Creator: Technik als philosophische Herausforderung.Hans Poser -2016 - Wiesbaden: Springer VS.detailsTechnik bestimmt auf die mannigfaltigste Weise unser Leben und Zusammenleben. Obgleich sie von Platon und Aristoteles bis in das zwanzigste Jahrhundert in Einzelaspekten betrachtet worden ist, wurde sie erst in den letzten Jahrzehnten zu einem eigenständigen Gegenstand der Philosophie. Dennoch werden ihre philosophischen Probleme immer noch eher beiläufig behandelt. So geht es um die Klärung ganz zentraler und herausfordernder Aufgaben – von der menschlichen Schöpferkraft über eine Klärung, was ein technisches Artefakt ist, zum technischen Wissen, in all diesen Elementen verknüpft (...) mit dem Verantwortungsproblem. Das Ziel ist eine Darstellung dieser faszinierenden philosophischen Fragen vor dem Hintergrund der Tradition. (shrink)
(1 other version)Wittgenstein's Later Theory of Meaning: Imagination and Calculation.Hans Julius Schneider -2013 - Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.detailsBy exploring the significance of Wittgenstein’s later texts relating to the philosophy of language, _Wittgenstein’s Later Theory of Meaning_ offers insights that will transform our understanding of the influential 20th-century philosopher. Explores the significance of Wittgenstein’s later texts relating to the philosophy of language, and offers new insights that transform our understanding of the influential 20th-century philosopher Provides original interpretations of the _systematic_ points about language in Wittgenstein’s later writings that reveal his theory of meaning Engages in close readings of (...) a variety of Wittgenstein’s later texts to explore what the philosopher really had to say about ‘kinds of words’ and ‘parts of speech’ Frees Wittgenstein from his reputation as an unsystematic thinker with nothing to offer but ‘therapy’ for individual cases of philosophical confusion. (shrink)
Musik ist Müll: Essay.Hans Platzgumer -2012 - Innsbruck: Limbus. Edited by Didi Neidhart.detailsVon schrottiger und guter und der heute üblichen Abwertung aller Musik wissen die Co-Autoren versiert zu berichten. Sie kennen und belichten den an seiner Digitalisierung gescheiterten Musikmarkt und dessen Abgründe sehr genau. Genussvoll analysieren sie am Beispiel eines Generationenkonflikts den Müllstatus, den Popmusik 2012 eingenommen hat. „In ihrem Essay Musik = Müll beschreiben die beiden Co-Autoren, warum die absichtliche Produktion von Müll heute genauso zum Medienalltag gehört wie der achtlose Musikkonsum im Minutentakt. Und die beiden wissen, wovon sie schreiben. Der (...) Komponist, Autor und gelernte ElektroakustikerHans Platzgumer spielte und produzierte unter anderem mit den Goldenen Zitronen, Tocotronic und HP Zinker. Außerdem sind House- und Technoplatten von ihm bei Labels wie Domino Records oder Playhouse erschienen. Didi Neidhart ist seit mehr als 30 Jahren DJ und Musikjournalist, außerdem popkultureller Forscher und Chefredakteur des österreichischen Musikmagazins Skug. Doch trotz der geballten Sachkenntnis der beiden wird das gut 130 Seiten starke Buch nie wichtigtuerisch oder professorenhaft, was hauptsächlich an einem erfrischenden Generationenkonflikt liegt:Hans Platzgumer hat nämlich einen schwer pubertierenden Sohn, der die allerschlimmste aktuelle Popmusik als Rebellionsgrundlage gegen seinen schwer im Underground verwurzelten Musikervater nimmt... Gegen Ende kommen beide zu einer allgemeinen Gesellschaftskritik, die stellenweise zu weit geht respektive zu kurz greift. Abgesehen davon ist Musik = Müll jedoch ein sehr unterhaltsames Plädoyer für eine musikalische Wertschätzungs- oder zumindest Aufmerksamkeitssteigerung. Denn: Soll doch ruhig jeder hören, was er will. Hauptsache, er hört es richtig an“ (Groove). (shrink)
Christian ethics introduced: religious convictions in secular times.Hans Otto Tiefel -2024 - Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick Publications.detailsChristian Ethics Introduced asks why humans count as ends in themselves. The biblical answer was/is that humans have standing--inherent worth--as creatures in the image of God. This traditional answer yielded to seventeenth and eighteenth century enlightenment secularism. To these secularists, human reason promised to be a surer and more peaceable foundation for a just culture than religion. Human rationality--the light of human reason--would enlighten and improve the human condition. Two world wars and more realistic trends in new social sciences created (...) not just awareness of human irrationality but fostered skepticism of sound foundations for morality and justice. It seemed that both traditional religion and enlightened reason fell short of what had been hoped. And the cause of failure may not lie in traditional religion or in human irrationality. Rather, the problem might lie in human conduct. Specifically, it may lie in the human inclination to favor self over others, of the "me" outranking the "we." Christian responses to the human failure to live a moral and just life recognize the persistence of immoral conduct, acknowledge it in regard to oneself, ask for forgiveness, and make amends and peace with God and with those wronged. (shrink)